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Using chess to improve math achievement for students who receive special education services

Posted on:2011-11-27Degree:Ed.DType:Dissertation
University:Texas A&M University - CommerceCandidate:Barrett, David ChristopherFull Text:PDF
GTID:1447390002468280Subject:Education
Abstract/Summary:
For more than two decades, there has been an increased emphasis on improving academic outcomes for students across the country. Such emphasis has resulted in state reform efforts and federal legislative initiatives to enhance the academic performance for all students including those who receive special education services. Despite the advancement in support and services for this population, students who receive special education services often face many adversities in public education that their non-disabled peers do not face including a large achievement gap in mathematics. This study explored the use of chess instruction as a means of improving math achievement for students who receive special education services. Specifically, this study evaluated the use of chess instruction as a tool for sequential transfer within middle-school level special education math classes and assessed its impact on the students' math achievement as measured by end-of-year course grades and the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). Scholz et al. (2008) observed the transfer of chess instruction to the improvement of basic mathematics skills of elementary students with learning disabilities in Germany. Similarly, this causal-comparative study examined the effects of a 30-week chess instructional program for students who received special education services in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was utilized to compare the adjusted means for the comparison and treatment groups on eight measures of math achievement. Pretest scores and grade levels served as covariates. Results indicated a statistically significant difference on four of the measures in favor the treatment group. The treatment group scored higher on their end-of-year course grades, on their overall TAKS math scale scores, and on their percentage scores on TAKS math objectives 1 and 5. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups on TAKS math objectives 2, 3, 4, or 6. These findings lend support for the use of chess in education and offer empirical support for a potentially effective instructional tool for students who receive special education services in math.
Keywords/Search Tags:Students who receive special education, Receive special education services, Chess
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